the Korean Stomper

On the KTX train from Seoul to Daegu.
Lots of mud!!! This is around a palace we went to in Seoul.

Forgive me but I do not know what mountain that is!

Shoe Alley! Tons of shoes. My feet, a women's US 8, are one of the largest sizes here. Unfortunately even I have a hard time finding shoes big enough!

My schedule here has been very far off what it used to be in America. Half the week I don't work until 1pm, and my earliest day, which is only once a week, is 10:50am. So I've gotten into the habit of staying up til 2am (partially so I can chat with folks back home while they're sipping their coffee, avoiding at all costs doing anything resembling work for the first 2 hours of their workdays- and partially because I just don't feel like going to bed at a reasonable hour). I've never worked a job in my post-college life where I get to wake up on my own accord, and not rely on the harsh startles of a cell phone alarm clock, so I'm taking advantage while I can. I think in a month I've only used an alarm clock to wake up maybe once.

In Brooklyn, before I was living with Greg, I lived in an apartment on the first floor, beneath the tiniest yet loudest stomper in the world. Little did I know that when I would move to Korea 4 months later, that she was not the loudest stomper in the world. The man (I don't even know if he's a man- I've never seen him- so I'll refer to this person from now on as the Korean Stomper, or KS for short) who nows resides in apartment 301 takes the cake. I have been awake today since 7am (I don't work until 1 today so I am not pleased). I was still awake at around 3am last night, watching Sex and the City because for some reason it pops up on an otherwise all Korean channel from about 1-2am every night, and generally just avoiding going to sleep. KS's stomping began at precisely the moment I decided I would slumber. It continued steadily throughout the early morning hours, and long after I finally roused myself from a fitful sleep to stumble to the laundry room, where I grabbed an old mop left by the previous tenant, and tenaciously thrusted the handle into my ceiling to no avail. (sorry, that was the world's longest sentence, but it needed to be, for effect of what my struggle with KS has been, and will continue to be I'm sure). With my heart racing and unsure how to handle the situation, I wrote my boss a desperate email claiming I just can't live like this. Perhaps a bit dramatic, but I honestly don't know A) why KS is only around and functioning between the hours of 12-8am and B) why in a country where shoes are not worn inside how anyone could walk so heavily.

So being forced awake before 8am by something I deem worse than a screeching alarm clock, I decided what better to do than to make myself a delicious tofu scramble for breakfast. It was by far the best meal I've eaten in a month, and I'm extremely excited to have found something I can easily cook, with no recipe, and for very cheap. I've already admitted I don't like the food here. I will use this to my advantage to nurture my love for cooking. I'm being really adventurous and trying lots of new things, no longer solely relying on recipes, but making things up as I go. Last night I decided I would make a curry, with what I thought was just a general curry powder that I picked up at my local grocer (packaging written entirely in Korean, of course). After prepping the vegetables and ripping open the cardboard box, I became immediately uneasy when the "curry powder" appeared to be more liquid, and I could feel chunks within the bag. After tearing along the perforation, my worst fear is realized. Hunks of beef (?) mixed in with the pre-made curry! Into the garbage it went immediately. Every little thing is an experience, from finding beef in my curry to hiking up a mountain. Funny how in a foreign country the simplest, most mundane every day acts become stories I will repeat for years.

I haven't had any funny stories about my students lately. I'm feeling like this is my job now, and it's less of a novelty. It's making me pull characteristics out of myself that I always wondered if they existed or not. I find that I have way more patience than I ever imagined. In a way it's creating a confidence in me, too. This is something more. Something less obvious. It's fulfilling in a way that I haven't really felt before.

However, this week in particular I'm living for the weekend! Hiking, mountains, new friends and new experiences. And of course Greg on Monday. I hope everyone is having a great week! Oh, I'm adding various pictures just for something for you to look at.